Water cooling apparatus



July 2, 1 946.

q. P. FREER WATER COOLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 28, 1944 distance fromeach other.

UNITED- sr TEs ATENT OFFICE mum's 1 Application na e 28, 1944, SerialNo. 516.200

trolled drinking fountain, wherein the water outlet conduit and therefrigerant circulating conduit are so arranged and disposed as toafford a maximum of heat exchange eiliciency. I

Other objects and advantagesof the invention will be apparent as thespecification is considered with the accompanying drawing, wherein:Figure l is a' sectional elevation, partlybroken away and partly insection, of a liquid cooling apparatus, the usual cabinet andrefrigerant circulating mechanism being omitted; and.

Figure 2 is a section on the'line 2-2 of liigure 1. i

Referring more particularly to the drawing i denotes a tank forcontaining a supply of water or other liquid 2, and adapted to bemountedwithin a drinking fountain cabinet, not shown,

such as illustrated in Patent No. 2,278,226, issued March 31, 1942, toHalsey W. Taylor of Warren, Ohio. Water to be cooled is conducted underpressure to the upper portion of the interior of the tank I, by a pipe3, leading from a water main, not shown. As water is drawn from time totime, from the upper portion of the tank, through a cold water outletpipe 4. it will be automatically renewed-by the pressure in the watermain. Adrain pipe I communicating with the interior of the tank, at thebottom thereof, provides means for emptying the tank. I

Submerged in the tank i is a water cooling appliance 8 consisting of acontinuous coil of pipe 1, comprising a'tier 8 of inner superposedconvolutions 8' and a secondtier 9 of. outer spaced convolutions 8'encircling the first tier, which act asvthe evaporator of thecoolin'gsys- Claims. (01. 62-141) s 2 convolutions of both theinner-rand outer tiers V 8 and -9 respectively are concentricallydisposed with respect to each other and to the axes of the member Ii andtank I.

Water conducted by inlet pipe I is discharged through the tank top I?adjacent the side walls of the tank and the topmost convolution of outertier 9. The'water drops down in the tank over or adjacent theconvolutions of outer tier 0, and enters the open lower end of the pipeor casing In its passage from the lower to the upper end of the pipe ii.the stream is split into two parts, one portion of the water flowingupwardly through the narrow outer passage it, formed between the outersides of the convolutions of the inner tier 8 and the pipe i I, and theother portion flowing through the inner passage ll. These two portionsor streams are brought into intimate and confined heat exchange relationwith the inner convolutions 8' of cooling pipe I, while the water in thebody of the tank, externally of the pipe ii, is in intimate contact withthe latter and with the outer convolutions 9' of the pipe I. From theupper end of chamber or pipe H, water is conducted through the coldwater outlet pipe 4 to a valve controlled bubbler, not shown. As theprecooled water from the body of the tank is progressively cooled duringits upv .ward passage through the pipe ii the temperatom. Theconvolutions of the inner tier are closely coiled and superposed oneupon the other of the outer tier extend almost to the side walls of thetank, and are spaced apart, a considerable A hollow preferably tubularmember or casing suitably secured at its upper end to and de-Dendingfrom the top I! of the tank I, extends down over and encloses;the convolutions of the inner tier, the lower end of the member II,which may consist of a section of pipe, terminatture of the water at thetop of the pipe is lower than at any other point.

A suitable condensing unit comprising a motor, compressor and condenser,such as disclosed in the prior patent to Taylor, previously referred to,is employed for circulating a liquid refrigerant through the pipe I.This liquid refrigerant flows from the outlet end of the condensingunit, not shown, through a pipe ll, to and downwardly through theconvolutions of inner tier I, then upwardly through the convolutions Iof outer tier 9 and finally back to the suction side of the compressorunit, through a suction outlet pipe II. It will of course be understoodthat, during its passage'through the pipe 1, the refrigerant pre-coolsthe water in the body of the tank surrounding the outer tier ofconvolutions, and additionally cools the water in pipe ll, because ofthe evaporation of the refrigerant which is caused primarily by the heatfrom the water in the hollow member or pipe ii. Upon circling throughthe coil of pipe 1, the now vaporized refrigerant leaves the pipe 1 andtank I and is returned to the condensing unit where it is coming a shortdistance fromthe tank bottom. The 55 the cycle may be repeated.

n 3 The warm inlet water, entering the top of the a tank is cooled bythe refrigerant gas in the outer- ":I, most section or tier of the coilI. The pre-cooled water reaches the bottom of tank I and enters the openend of pipe II. at a point adjacent to Y the center of the tank and atthe bottom thereof, the coldest sectionof the tank body. Enroute throughthe passages l and I3, from the bottom of the tank to the top ofpipe II,the pro-cooled wateris completely and progressively cooled by intimatecontact with the convolutions 8'. The greatest efilciency and maximum.cooling of the outlet water is attained by segregating the completelycooled waterfrom the prev-cooled and con, fining the former within therestricted chamber afforded by the casing H, and in which therefrigerating actionoi the convolutions 0 is concentrated.

Having thus described my claim is: I

1. An apparatus for cooling liquid comprising a chambered body, acooling coll providing a reirigerant circulating passage, said coolingcoil comprising outer pro-cooling convolution s" and inner concentriccooling convolutions submerged invention what" I i within said chamberedbody, a hollow'member sleeved over said inner convolutions' andproviding a vertical inner chamber iorgthe'pre-cooled liquid, said innerconvolutions being arranged'in tightly coiled superposed relationandslightly spaced from the hollow member to separate the vertical innerchamber intogout-ilow' passages on opposite sides of said'innerconvolutions, said hollow member being sealed at one end from andat itsother-end being. in communication with' the interior of said chamberedbody, means for conducting a supply 015 liquid to "be cooled to saidchambered body, and an outlet forthe cooled liquid in communication withthe upper end of said vertical inner-chamber.

2; An apparatus for cooling liquid comprising a chambered body, acooling coil providing a refrigerant circulating passage; said coolingcoil comprising inner and outer tiers of convolutions submerged .withinsaid chambered body a' hollow member having its upper end secured to andclosed by the top of said chambered body and at its lower endterminating adjacent to and opening into the bottom of the chamberedbody, the said inner tier of convolutions encased within said hollowmember, the space between adjacent ,a chambered body, a cooling coilproviding a refrigerant circulating passage, said cooling coilcomprising outer 'pre-cooling convolutions and inner concentric coolingconvolutions submerged within said chambered body; a hollow "membersleeved over said inner convolutionsand providing a vertical innerchamber for theHpre-cooled liquid, said inner convolutions beingarranged in tightly coiled superposed relation andslightly spaced fromthe hollow member tofseparatethe vertical inner chamber'into outflowpassages on opposite sidesof said inner conv'olutions,v said innerconvolutions terminating short of the top of said inner chamber andbelow theguppermost convolutions .of said outer convolutionsto pro- 1vide a space for the cooledliquid, said hollow member being sealed atoneend fromand at its other end being'in communication xwith'the interior'ofsaid chambered b means for con-- "ducting a supply or. liquid tobe'co'oled to said n angel-v hom,

-' chambered body, and an outlet for the cooled liq-.

uid in commumcation withthe space at the upper end ofsaid vertical innerchamber for drawing oil? the cooled water therefrom at itspoint' oflowest temperature. CLYDE P. FREER.

